Climate Activist & Organizer of Fridays for Future
Xiye Bastida: Biography at a Glance
- Xiye Bastida, a climate justice activist, serves as an organizer for Fridays For Future, an international movement for school students to participate in demonstrations to demand action from political leaders to prevent climate change.
- She also co-founded Re-Earth Initiative, an international youth-led organization that focuses on highlighting the intersectionality of the climate crisis. Re-Earth launched a grant-giving chapter for ecosystem restoration, fighting injustice, and supporting frontline communities.
- Xiye authored the first chapter of the All We Can Save Anthology and was recognized by the United Nations with the U.N. Spirit Award.
- Her advocacy for climate justice in the fashion industry has also led to her collaborating with pioneering designers, being on two Vogue covers, getting recognized by Harper’s Bazaar as one of their 22 Icons, and walking during New York Fashion Week.
- Xiye has been on the Jury of the ANDAM Prize, Global Choices, and is a nominator for the Earthshot Prize.
- Xiye is passionate about shifting the climate conversation from focusing on individual responsibility and demanding large-scale policy solutions.
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Biography
Xiye Bastida is an Indigenous climate justice activist, earth defender, author, and thought leader. She was recently listed in TIME100 Next as a phenomenon and holds the UN Spirit Award. Hailing from the Otomi-Toltec Indigenous community in Central Mexico, she has been actively involved in organizing climate strikes with Fridays For Future since 2019, co-organizing the largest youth-led march in New York City with over 300,000 participants.
In 2020, she co-founded the Re-Earth Initiative, focusing on providing resources and knowledge to frontline communities. Re-Earth Initiative has members in over 26 countries and is fully youth-led. Xiye's advocacy led her to address 40 world leaders at the Biden Climate Summit in 2021 and close the World Leaders Summit at COP26, emphasizing the importance of climate justice, youth engagement, and a just transition. Both speeches gained virality for their directness and clarity. She now serves as an ambassador to the United Nations High Level Champions.
Her powerful words and storytelling have led her to take the stage at the Nobel Prize Summit, VOGUE, TED, Global Citizens, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The World Economic Forum, Columbia University, TIME Summit, the New York Times, Women Moving Millions, Ibero, TEC de Monterrey, YouTube, Clinton Global Initiative, among others.
Xiye has been on the Jury of the ANDAM Prize, Global Choices, and is a nominator for the Earthshot Prize.
Her interest in sustainable fashion led her to collaborate with pioneering designers. She has been on two Vogue covers and was recognized by Harper’s Bazaar as one of their 22 Icons. She walked during New York Fashion Week for Gabriela Hearst and has been a loud advocate for climate justice in the fashion industry. She also serves as a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Champion and a Climate Governance Commissioner. Xiye authored the first chapter of the "All We Can Save Anthology.”
In 2023, she was named ELLE Woman of Impact. Xiye is an honors student at the University of Pennsylvania studying disadvantaged communities in New York City. Additionally, she is the Executive Producer of an upcoming climate documentary, The Whale Lagoon.
Topics
Imagining the Future We Can (And Must) Create
